Tutorial: Shortcake Knickers

 
Knickers are the perfect transition piece for the changing seasons.  They are especially nice when you use knit…






Cool and comfy!






 
The green grass and wildflowers call us out every day to play…






 
…and these knickers are perfect for all those adventures in the sun







Use store-bought knit, or you can up-cycle a Tshirt







These are so easy and darling, I made 2 pair in an afternoon







Here’s how you can make yours





Materials
Pattern Pieces {2T/3T} 
1/2 yard knit  (or a Tshirt)
1/4 yard ribbed knit
Elastic thread
Sewing supplies




Instructions

Print out the pattern pieces and tape together at the dots
***Make sure to wash/dry your knit on a warm setting before sewing.  Knit can sometimes shrink up to 20%!**



Cut out your pieces:
2 front and 2 back legs {double your fabric over and cut two at a time}
5”x18” piece of ribbed knit {or the best diameter for your child waist}



Take one front and one back leg and lay the pieces next to each other



Place the front leg on top of the back leg RST and match the straight edges.  Pin and stitch a 1/4” seam down the edge




Here is what it looks like when finished.  Repeat with the other front/back leg pieces




Now that both legs are sewn, place one on top of the other RST and stitch the top curves only using a 1/4” seam




Make those seams you just sewed the center front and back seams…now you can start to see the knicker




Pin the inner seam.  Make sure to pin the center seam first, then the ends, then ease in the rest of the pinning as it won’t match exactly because of the front and back legs having different arches.  That’s ok…it makes these knickers have a definite front/back

 
Here are the knickers turned right side out



Now for the fun part….fill your bobbin with elastic thread.  If you have never used elastic thread, you can visit my tutorial HERE



Begin on one of the legs, about an inch away from the bottom at the inner seam.  Stitch a line all the way around once



When you get to the starting point, just keep sewing around adjusting your line to about 1/8” away from the first line.  Don’t start/stop. Don’t backstitch, just keep the motion going.  Go around one more time (3 total).  Repeat on the other leg.




Take your waistband and fold in half, RST.  Stitch a 1/4" seam down the open edge (5” side)

 
Turn the waistband down and over so the the wrong sides are together and there is only one raw edge.

Mark the front and sides of the waistband with pins ( you don’t need to mark the back becasue the seam is your mark)

 
Take a look at your knickers.  There is a definite front and back.  The back is more baggy to account for the booty.  Place the waistband seam on the back seam of the knickers, matching raw edges at the top.


Pull the ribbed waistband as far as you need to get the center of the front seam of the knicker, matching the pin with the front seam.  Pin.  Once you let go, it will bunch all up again.  That is ok.  As long as your waistband was pulled tight, you got the center.

Do the same for the sides, matching the pin to each side seam


Position the raw edges of waistband/knicker under your presser foot. Put the presser foot down. 

 
Pull the waistband so it is the same length as your knicker fabric underneath.  It has quite a bit of stretch in it, so don’t be scared to pull hard.  Keep it pulled while sewing your 1/4” seam.  Once you reach the next pin, pull that next section of waistband, and so on…


And that’s it!  Throw on your little one and go frolic in the sunshine!




TIPS:

When sewing the elastic thread in, just go above the hem line



To adjust the pattern, just cut it a little bigger.  Here, I made a larger pair in the pink stripe knicker by adding about 1/4 ” all the way around when cutting out the pattern.   

Simple!



Please post your pictures in the Flickr pool so we can all see your fun knickers  :)


Until next time…
 

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